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Your Health H A L T O N H E A L T H C A R E SERVICES C O M M U N I T Y R E P O R T -- Halton Healthcare M ental Illness: Help is Available What do Robin Williams, Howard Hughes, Brooke Shields and Kurt Cobain all have in common? Each o f these high profile celebrities have encountered some form o f mental illness during their lives. B ut you don't have to look to the stars or the rich and fam ous to see just how common mental illness is. M ore C om m on T han You T hink "W ithout exception, every family - regardless o f their culture o r social status - will h ave at least o n e m em ber, at som e tim e in their lives, w h o will struggle w ith m ental illness," explains Peter Croxall, Program Leader o f th e M ental H ealth a n d Social Services Program at H alton H ealthcare Services (HHS). "Research indicates that o n e in five w o m en an d o n e in six. m en will have a serious depressive ep iso d e som etim e in their lives." HHS Outpatient Mental Health Programs The m ajority of HHS O utpatient Programs associated w ith OTMH, including its comm unity based programs previously located at Bond Street in Oakville, have recently relocated to the 6th floor of the Oakville Corporate Centre. · Child and Youth M ental Health Programs & The Eating Disorders Program Phone: 905-815-5140 Fax:905-815-5076 · A dult M ental Health Programs Phone: 905-338-4630 Fax: 905-845-6419 N ot An E xact S cien ce Unlike m edicine, psychiatry is not an exact science. W hile studies show that m ental illness m ay run in families, there are n o genetic m arkers or physical evidence that can be quickly tested for in a laboratory or w ith o th er diagnostics to verify that a perso n has or will develop a particular condition. M ental illness is diagnosed prim arily o n the p atien t's behaviour, w h at they say and their history as observ ed by their family an d friends. U nfortunately, som etim es, it takes a tragic incident before the m ental disorder is recognized an d properly addressed. New Address: Oakville Corporate Centre 6 th Floor - 700 Dorval Drive, Oakville, ON L6 K 3 B5 A Selection of Some Halton Resources for Mental Health · Canadian Mental Health Association 905-693-4270 · Schizophrenia Society of Ontario 905-876-1647 · Halton Geriatric Mental Health Outreach Team 905-681-8233 · North Halton Mental Health Clinic 905-693-4240 · ADAPT - Halton Alcohol & Drug Assessment, Prevention & Treatment 905-639-6537 · COAST- Halton Crisis Outreach and Support > Team Crisis Line and M obile Intervention Services 1- 877-825-9011 · Halton Child and Youth Services Oakville: 905-339-3525 Burlington: 905-634-2347 "W hile o n e in five children suffer from a m ental health disorder, only o n e in six children receive any form o f treatm ent w ith a m ental h ealth professional," adds Dr. Alan Brow n, Physician Leader o f th e HHS M ental H ealth Program an d C hief o f the HHS D epartm ent o f Psychiatry. "O ur h o p e is that the earlier w e c a n identify psychiatric disorders an d initiate treatm ent, the m ore successful the outcome.. Here to help: A fe w members of the HHS Outpatient Mental Health Program Team. We n e e d to develo p b etter M ental illness is a b ro ad co n cep t u se d to explain a set o f screening program s in ch ild h o o d a n d adolescence to b ehaviours w hich can often be very confusing, upsetting, diagnose disorders early o n ." bizarre and inexplicable to others. W ithout an . . u n d erstanding o f the cause, th ese u n u sual behaviours Looks At W hole P erson h ave often b ee n laEjeled in a negative way. Thanks, The M ental H ealth Program at H alton H ealthcare Services how ever, to aw areness cam paigns, education and is com prised o f a w ide range o f program s an d services advocacy at all governm ent levels, m ental illness is slowly for children, adolescents an d adults in H alton. It has over em erging from the m ysterious, negative im agery in w hich 75 part-tim e an d full-time staff, su p p o rte d by eleven it has b e e n historically shrouded. psychiatrists. "The M ental H ealth Program is the o n e area o f m edicine that looks at the w h o le person. We take into account the biological, psychological an d th e social factors o f the individual, an d their family, across th e age spectrum ," explains Dr. Brow n. "Using a m ulti-disciplinary team ap proach, w e w o rk very closely w ith a w h o le range of professionals - including th e p atien t's family doctor, psychiatrist, social w orker, school staff, recreational therapist, child an d y o u th counsellor, occupational therapist a n d even their chaplain w h e n ap p ro priate - to get a clear picture o f th e individual. We strive to provide o u r patients w ith th e m ost co m prehensive and ap p ro p riate intervention, care a n d su p p o rt." M ental health disorders can h av e a devastating im pact on b o th patients a n d their families. H ow ever, in spite o f the w id e range o f m o d ern a n d very effective treatm ents available, m ental illnesses - depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, an d schizophrenia - rem ain under-recognized, u n d er-treated a n d stigm atized. H elp is A vailable "T he M ental H ealth Program is an integral part of o u r h ealthcare services at HHS. It w orks very closely an d effectively w ith o u r com m unity partners to provide a very com prehensive array o f services to th e residents o f H alton," notes D enise H ardenne, HHS V ice-President of Program s an d Q uality D evelopm ent. "T he excellence of this program can b e attributed to an outstanding M ental H ealthcare team - from the unit clerk to the case w o rk er to .the nurse an d psychiatrist - their dedication a n d com m itm ent to the program is seco n d to n o n e ." "It's vital that w e b reak d o w n the stigm as that p rev en t p e o p le from receiving tim ely a n d effective treatm ent. By educating p e o p le o n the key types o f m ental illnesses an d their sym ptom s, w e can encourage each o th er friends an d family - to recognize a n d acknow ledge these disorders a n d seek h elp w h e n they n e e d it," concludes Dr. Brow n. "T he g o o d new s is that it is all treatable. Patients can b e referred for h elp th rough their family doctor. Today, th ere is n o need, for anyone to suffer alo n e." Web Sites · Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (Toronto) - www.cam h.net · Internet Mental Health (Canadian) - w ww.m entalhealth.com · Canadian Psychiatric Association - www.cpa-apc.org · The (Canadian) Global Business and Economic Roundtable on Addiction and Mental Health - www.m entalhealthroundtable.ca · Ontario Mental Health Foundation - www.omhf.on.ca · United States National Institute of Mental Health - w w w .nim h.nih.gov